Americans Gray, Bernard and Mango make weight, receive draws for Friday competition at World Championships
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by Jason Bryant
All three U.S. wrestlers set to compete on Friday at the 2009 World Championships all made weight and received their draws on Thursday at the Messecenter Herning in Herning, Denmark.
The 2008 Junior World Champion, Adeline Gray (Colorado Springs, Colo./NYAC), didn't fare so well in her return trip to the Junior Worlds earlier this year, but the 18-year-old has a chance for redemption at the senior level.
Gray draws Germany's Maria Mueller in the opening round. Mueller was third in the 2006 World Championships in China, but fell to 14th in the Worlds in 2007 and did not qualify for the Olympics.
Should Gray get past Mueller, a tough opponent will await in either China's Yan Ma, the reigning Asian Junior Champion and Senior runner-up or Russian Yulia Bartnovskaya, who finished fifth in the World Championships last year.
Notable wrestlers in the bottom half of the draw include 2008 World Champion and Olympic fifth-place finisher Martine Dugrenier of Canada and Mongolian Badrakh Odinchimeg, who coincidentally meet in the opening round. Odinchimeg was 10th in the Olympics in 2008.
Japan's entry is 2008 Asian Junior Champion and Senior runner-up Yoshiko Inoue.
Ali Bernard (New Ulm, Minn./Gator WC) doesn't have a stellar draw, as she'll meet 2007 World Champion Stanka Zlateva of Bulgaria in the opening round. Zlateva was the 2008 Olympic silver medalist. Bernard represented the U.S. at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
The winner will take on either Ohenewa Akuffo of Canada or Maria-Louisa Vrioni of Greece. Akuffo was third in the World Championships in 2008.
Japan's new entry, Asuka Sano, was the Asian Senior runner-up, but will have big shoes to fill as Kyoko Hamaguchi, a five-time World Champion, has stopped competing.
In Greco-Roman, Spenser Mango (St. Louis, Mo./NYAC), the 2008 Olympian at 55kg for the U.S., will take to the mat against Estonia's Anar Zeinalov in the opening round. Zeinalov was 10th in the European championships.
But looming in the same part of the top bracket is Iranian Hamid Sorian Reihanpour, a three-time World Champion who placed fifth in the Olympics in 2008.
Notables in the bottom half of the draw are Olympic fifth-place finisher Kristijan Fris of Serbia, Bulgarian Aleksandar Kostadinov and Russian Bekxan Mankiev.
Azerbaijan's Olympic silver medalist Rovshan Bayramov is also in the bottom half of the bracket.
The 2008 Junior World Champion, Adeline Gray (Colorado Springs, Colo./NYAC), didn't fare so well in her return trip to the Junior Worlds earlier this year, but the 18-year-old has a chance for redemption at the senior level.
Gray draws Germany's Maria Mueller in the opening round. Mueller was third in the 2006 World Championships in China, but fell to 14th in the Worlds in 2007 and did not qualify for the Olympics.
Should Gray get past Mueller, a tough opponent will await in either China's Yan Ma, the reigning Asian Junior Champion and Senior runner-up or Russian Yulia Bartnovskaya, who finished fifth in the World Championships last year.
Notable wrestlers in the bottom half of the draw include 2008 World Champion and Olympic fifth-place finisher Martine Dugrenier of Canada and Mongolian Badrakh Odinchimeg, who coincidentally meet in the opening round. Odinchimeg was 10th in the Olympics in 2008.
Japan's entry is 2008 Asian Junior Champion and Senior runner-up Yoshiko Inoue.
Ali Bernard (New Ulm, Minn./Gator WC) doesn't have a stellar draw, as she'll meet 2007 World Champion Stanka Zlateva of Bulgaria in the opening round. Zlateva was the 2008 Olympic silver medalist. Bernard represented the U.S. at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
The winner will take on either Ohenewa Akuffo of Canada or Maria-Louisa Vrioni of Greece. Akuffo was third in the World Championships in 2008.
Japan's new entry, Asuka Sano, was the Asian Senior runner-up, but will have big shoes to fill as Kyoko Hamaguchi, a five-time World Champion, has stopped competing.
In Greco-Roman, Spenser Mango (St. Louis, Mo./NYAC), the 2008 Olympian at 55kg for the U.S., will take to the mat against Estonia's Anar Zeinalov in the opening round. Zeinalov was 10th in the European championships.
But looming in the same part of the top bracket is Iranian Hamid Sorian Reihanpour, a three-time World Champion who placed fifth in the Olympics in 2008.
Notables in the bottom half of the draw are Olympic fifth-place finisher Kristijan Fris of Serbia, Bulgarian Aleksandar Kostadinov and Russian Bekxan Mankiev.
Azerbaijan's Olympic silver medalist Rovshan Bayramov is also in the bottom half of the bracket.
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